BOSTON – The Boston Celtics’ 18th NBA championship will be decided by the team in the 2023-24 season.
This title was a team effort, particularly thanks to an unmatched starting five and talented reserves who dominated opponents during the regular season and playoffs.
Throughout the playoffs, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics players reinforced the idea of a team.
Boston's 106-88 Game 5 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday to clinch the championship was a microcosm of that teamwork.
The eight core rotation players who played significant minutes in the NBA Finals made meaningful contributions.
From the two headlining Blue Jays, NBA Finals MVPs Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, to veterans Al Horford, July Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard, the Celtics were too powerful offensively and defensively for the Mavericks.
Brown had 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Tatum had 31 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and two steals and Holiday had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Horford nearly had a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
Hauser made two big 3-pointers, Pritchard hit his second of the series with a buzzer-beater 3-pointer at the end of the quarter, and Porzingis played valuable time despite a left foot injury.
“The most important thing for guys like Sam and Peyton is to understand that without them, we wouldn't be here,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said earlier in the series. “They've literally won games for us. And it's not just about scoring. That's one of the strengths of this team. None of us, whether we're starters or role players, we try to be defined by one thing.”
The Celtics have had success in past seasons, reaching the NBA Finals in 2022 and the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023, 2022, 2020, 2018 and 2017. But Tatum and Brown weren't ready to win a title, and the roster combination wasn't right.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens replaced Danny Ainge and reshuffled the roster, adding White, Porzingis and Holiday and bringing back Horford.
With the right combination of players at the right time, the Celtics were NBA champions once again.